Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to aroma-generating devices, and more particularly to a candle-powered aroma generator in a lantern format using a scentless candle, yet providing a choice of scents.
The history of the candle goes back to the middle ages when candles were made by hand. Most modern candles are machine fabricated by a molding process which forms a cylindrical mass of tallow or wax having embedded therein a twisted linen or cotton wick that burns to emit light.
The candle continues to play a symbolic role in literature, art and religion where the candle is often used to represent joy or reverence for the divine. And because the candle spends itself, it also serves to symbolize sacrifice. Though the candle is a notoriously weak source of light, where a romantic or glamorous setting is called for, as in a posh restaurant or at a dinner party, candlelight is preferred over electric lights or other more brilliant modern types of illumination.
To enhance the romantic appeal of candlelight, it is known to use scented candles which exude a pleasing fragrance as the candle burns. There are, however, a number of drawbacks with conventional scented candles in which the perfume oil is dispersed in the wax. There is a loss of perfume after prolonged storage; hence the scent, when the candle is burned, may be very faint. Moreover, the choice of scents is quite limited, for one needs for each distinctive scent a separate candle dedicated thereto.
Chemists have succeeded in analyzing the essential oils from which natural perfumes are made, and in creating thousands of synthetic fragrances, some simulating natural products and others yielding altogether new scents. While there is an enormous range of available fragrances, including the basic fruit and floral scents and various blends of natural and synthetic fragrances, one cannot as a practical matter produce scented candles in more than a few of the more popular and commonplace scents. A consumer, therefore, wishing to create a romantic aura by means of scented candles has a very limited selection of candles to choose from.
Thus, if for a Christmas party one wishes to produce the aroma of a burning log fire, there is no scented candle which exudes this special odor.